Secret: The years I served as a foreign aid for the Aurora Club

Chapter 158 Train Defense Battle

397
In the blink of an eye, the day to go to Backlund has arrived.

The earliest train from Tingen Station leaves at 5:00, and the journey to Backlund takes at least three hours. Because delays are less likely to occur in the morning, many people still choose to go there even though this time is ridiculously early.

It was still dark, and Benson stood on one side of the platform, carrying two suitcases in his hands, keeping a distance of about half a meter from the people around him. He was alert to other passengers around him, and told Melissa to keep an eye on the important items on her.

“There are so many people this morning,” Melissa whispered. From her height she could only see the shoulders of countless people.

Benson looked around at the crowd of people and was a little surprised:

"Yeah, it turns out that there are so many people on the first bus. It should be affected by Backlund's recruitment craze."

"I heard that in the past, if each carriage could only hold one-third of its capacity, it was already considered too crowded. This time is still too early."

After that, he took out his pocket watch from his pocket, took a look at it, and immediately put it back: "Fifteen minutes left."

Melissa nodded, and the brother and sister stood in the crowd, waiting quietly.

Tingen Station was the departure station, and the steam train had already stopped on the rails under the platform, but it was not time yet. A dividing line was drawn in the front half of the platform, and the station staff were running back and forth near the train, making a final check on its status.

Eight minutes before departure, the staff removed the dividing line. Soon, the doors opened and the crowd began to stir. The staff on the platform began to check tickets and directed people to different carriages.

The brother and sister squeezed into the car smoothly, and after following the crowd for a while, they arrived at their seat.

The first-class seats are comfortable and spacious, with two single seats about one meter apart facing each other, and a small table connected to the wall in the middle. There are special luggage lockers for first-class seats, and they don't have too many sundries. Sitting on the soft seats, you can stretch your legs.

Melissa was impressed by this comfortable and luxurious enjoyment - a full 15 soli per person! The first-class seats came with a meal, a piece of bread, a drink, and unlimited hot water, which was enough for breakfast, and even lunch was okay if she was a little more frugal.

But Benson would definitely not let Melissa be so frugal. He decided to take his sister to Backlund to enjoy a relatively sumptuous lunch.

Because their savings are more than enough for them to live their lives in peace, but they were reluctant to use the money their brother/brother exchanged for his life in the past. Now they are on the road to a better life. If Klein knew about this in the Goddess's kingdom, he would be happy, right?
Furthermore, Benson's reasons were very sufficient - "We are new here and are not familiar with Backlund's geographical conditions. We don't even have a map. We will definitely have to buy a map before looking for a place to stay. When we are not familiar with the road conditions and transportation, public carriages and trams are not suitable. We probably have to walk a long way and look at many houses before we can decide. If we don't have a good meal, how can we have the energy?"

Benson successfully convinced his sister with his excellent eloquence. At this moment, a dark shadow flashed in the corner of his eye, and a figure carrying a suitcase sat on the empty seat next to them. It was a gentleman who looked very young, but he was wearing a mask and only a pair of green eyes could be seen.

Melissa was a little surprised.

Mr. Green Eyes noticed them and greeted them in surprise: "Good morning, Miss Melissa, we meet again."

So Benson first glanced at Melissa, and seeing that she didn't greet him immediately, he quickly stood up with a smile, helped Mr. Green Eyes put the large and heavy suitcase on the luggage rack above his head, and then said warmly:
"Hello, my sister is a little introverted, what should I call her?"

Mr. Green Eyes, who had been feeling somewhat embarrassed, breathed a sigh of relief and uttered a dull and hoarse voice from behind his mask:
"I'm Leonard Mitchell, a police officer from Tingen City, transferred to Backlund. Mr. Benson, I've met you once before, and I saw your sister on the street the day before yesterday. And we can meet again today - what a coincidence!"

"Mr. Mitchell, ah, Officer Mitchell..."

Benson's memory did not leave him along with his hair, and he immediately remembered what this encounter meant: "It was you who came to our house at the beginning... I really troubled you at that time. The public security in Tingen City is thanks to your efforts... Congratulations on your promotion."

He skillfully exchanged a few pleasantries, and Melissa also stood up and greeted him. They were about to live in Backlund, and every fellow countryman who was worth mentioning was a resource. Mr. Mitchell was obviously a kind and enthusiastic police officer, and naturally an important connection in the future.

Of course, Benson believed that as a soon-to-be government employee, he could also be a resource for Officer Mitchell.

So Benson casually talked to Leonard about Backlund's customs and environment. He thought Leonard was also going to Backlund for the first time, but he didn't expect that the other party had many business trips and case handling experiences.

Usually he often stayed in Backlund, and this time it was a formal transfer - no wonder he had hardly seen him in Tingen. Leonard talked about the geography of Backlund and the various institutions and regional divisions, and even knew how many churches of the Goddess of Night were in each district. Benson immediately respected this devout believer.

This knowledge was exactly what Benson and his friends needed. Benson listened eagerly to Leonard's description of the various living points in Backlund, taking notes in his notebook from time to time. Melissa also concentrated attentively, asking a few questions from time to time.

Her questions mainly revolved around the community and neighbors, such as where the reorganized and rebuilt Backlund University of Technology was located, how much the surrounding rents were, how far it was from the residential area, how much the public horse-drawn carriage and trolleybus fares were, how long it would take to walk... Leonard was a little overwhelmed by these scattered questions. Since they were all useful information, and since most of the people in this carriage were going to Backlund to make a living, no one thought they were nagging and noisy, Leonard just chatted with the Moretti siblings for nearly an hour (under Pales's occasional guidance).

Leonard was talking dry, and when Benson began to ask him about his new views on environmental protection regulations, he felt that he was running out of words. At this time, he saw Melissa yawn and her expression suddenly became depressed.

Then, a series of yawns were heard in the carriage.

The sleepiness was like a tide, filling the entire carriage in an instant.

Leonard suddenly felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured over his head. He pursed his lips and began to pay attention to the situation around him.

Benson also yawned, looked at his pocket watch sleepily, and said to Leonard:
"It's already half past six, Officer Mitchell. I'm a little sleepy too. Let's take a rest first."

Plan 1: Let the Moretti brothers and sisters stay conscious and highly focused throughout the process to resist the interference of dreams, failed!
"Of course I will."

Leonard nodded in understanding, sat up straight against the back of his chair, and pretended to be asleep with his eyes closed, but was actually paying close attention to the movements of everyone around him. Suddenly, he stood up abruptly - he found that everyone around him had stopped breathing!

Nightmare! This is a nightmare! -- or did Ince Zangwill do it in a split second?! He does have the ability to do this!

But Lord Illya should be able to find out!

Leonard took a step forward and walked in front of the Moretti siblings, stretched out his hand to feel their breath... Indeed, they were no longer breathing. He quickly checked their heartbeat and pulse and found that they had also stopped. The texture of their skin was also like that of a newly dead person, still warm and elastic.

Melissa dozed off in her scarf on the table. He reached out and pushed Benson, who fell heavily onto the chair.

If this was a dream, then the demigod Ince Zangwill must be much more capable than himself, and it would be impossible to find any flaws. Thinking of this, he suddenly turned his head and shouted to the seat in the row behind him: "Old man?"

As soon as he arrived, he noticed that there was an old man sitting behind him. Although his shouting was abrupt, it was not a big deal.

The dead old man did not answer, and the old man he really called did not answer either!
Leonard's breathing stagnated immediately, and he immediately said in ancient Hermetic language:
"bright!"

no response.

Leonard was anxious to escape from the nightmare and protect the people in the real world, but he was not impatient. Several missions had gradually trained him to have the ability to react in an emergency. He immediately half-knelt on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to read the names of Archbishop Backlund and Saint Anthony loudly!
At this moment, he suddenly felt the world of his dream blur for a moment. He immediately stopped his unfinished prayer, stood up, and suddenly infused his spiritual power in the direction of the distant sensation, shouting:
"bright!!"

Leonard suddenly felt his spiritual power being rapidly devoured, reduced by a quarter in the blink of an eye, and at the same time, he suddenly felt as if he had fallen into a furnace and was extremely hot - he suddenly opened his eyes and stood up because of the heat in his trouser pocket as if there was a branding iron.

Pales hummed softly in his ear: "Not bad."

"Forty-three seconds."

"It's been longer than I thought." Leonard looked at the clock on the wall of the carriage. He felt that he had only been in the nightmare for more than twenty seconds. He immediately stood up and carefully checked the breathing of the Moretti brothers and sisters. He found that there was still air coming in and out, and he felt relieved.

The branding iron in his pocket was still hot, so he took out the red and hot talisman. The carriage was suddenly filled with warm sunlight, and the temperature inside rose rapidly. In an instant, they arrived at a high-end mansion with heating.

Holding this talisman, Leonard seemed to be able to distinguish between reality and dreams again.

At the same time, he was surprised to find that there were really undead in the carriage, and they were purified in an instant under the sunlight.

This... Could it be...

Leonard walked to the back of the carriage in disbelief - a second-class carriage had 16 rows of seats, so packed that adults couldn't stretch their legs. The first-class carriage was slightly more spacious, with 12 rows of seats, and he and the Moretti brothers and sisters sat in the third row.

He came to row 9 and found that the passenger sitting there had died.

The death was peaceful...very peaceful, the body was still warm, the skin was still elastic. There was no need to go any further. Leonard turned around and returned to the Moretti siblings. He easily took Benson's wallet out of his pocket, then shook Benson hard to wake him up, and pushed the table hard, startling Melissa to sit up.

"What happened?"

"Mr. Moretti, your wallet fell out."

Leonard handed the wallet to Benson and spoke loudly on purpose. In fact, the volume was not that loud, but with the help of spiritual power, he successfully woke up the people who were still alive in the car. They didn't notice that some passengers had died quietly, and they were reminded by him to check their important items.

Benson finally opened his sleepy eyes, yawned and thanked him, and took the wallet. He hesitated for a moment, but Leonard's frank attitude made him relax a lot. He opened the wallet in front of him and counted it. Seeing that nothing was missing, Benson's smile became more sincere, and his evaluation of Officer Mitchell was also higher.

Melissa rubbed her eyes, yawned, and glanced at the wall clock in the carriage:

"It's only been a short while?" She was still a little drowsy and stammered, "I can sleep so soundly on a steam train..."

"Yeah." Benson agreed, "Maybe I got up too early and am too sleepy."

After being tossed around by Leonard, they were temporarily more awake and chatted with each other for a while. Leonard took the opportunity to sit back in his seat and close his eyes to rest, and walked through the carriage in the dream to inform the past of what happened in his carriage and the casualties.

After hearing this, Soest immediately asked Daly to take action.

Leonard opened his eyes. To others, he had only rested for a minute or two. At this moment, the train arrived at the platform of the city it was passing through. More than a dozen passengers in rows 9-12 at the back of the carriage stood up one after another, picked up their luggage, and walked down quietly after the train door opened.

They walked along the platform and soon disappeared in the distance.

"They left so early?" Melissa looked out the window in surprise. "They didn't go to Backlund."

"Maybe he changed his mind," Benson replied casually.

After all, the dozen or so passengers who died accidentally walked out on their own, so they did not attract much attention from others. After the stop time was over, the steam train started again.

The train attendant pushed the dining cart through the carriage and brought Leonard the only good news:

This train will not be late!

It's already seven o'clock. I only need to hold on for another hour and a half to reach Backlund smoothly!

398
"The screws on the luggage rack above Melissa Moretti's head were loose, and this train happened to be heading to Backlund for maintenance. The inspectors focused on the damaged seats and broken safety doors, and ignored the safety hazards on the luggage rack. Well, safety hazards."

"The screw in row 6 is broken!"

"The entire luggage rack dropped three centimeters, the iron frame tilted, and the six-kilogram luggage was about to slide off. At this time, Leonard had to stay in the bathroom for 8 minutes and 24 seconds because of the sudden abdominal pain that he could not resist."

"The luggage slid down one after another. Unfortunately, Melissa Moretti's neck was not broken. The spirits of Daly Simone were lingering here. They pushed down the glass to warn the passengers, allowing them to quickly notice the danger."

…………

"The train stopped in York. As luck would have it, a wanted criminal in disguise managed to get on board."

"He's looking for a seat. It just so happens that rows 4-9 of Carriage 12 are all empty, and those passengers are all going to Backlund. Even if he stays here for a while, he won't arouse suspicion."

"...Well, that's the theory, but a train attendant who was notified by the Red Gloves discovered something was wrong and reported the sudden appearance of the passenger to Soest. Soest didn't know that the man was a fugitive, but it was obviously not okay to let a person who had no reason to evade the ticket sit near an important protected target. He realized that this was also a coincidence, so he entered the wanted criminal's dream and wanted the wanted criminal to walk to the carriage where he was. There happened to be an empty seat near him that was easy to monitor."

"Ince Zangwill is very dissatisfied with this development, but Ilia has confirmed his general direction through the reports of the Red Gloves and the extraordinary items she carries. At this time, Ince Zangwill is under strategic deterrence."

"Ince Zangwill thought the story didn't make sense, so he had the wanted criminal suddenly lose consciousness when he passed by Benson Moretti, and he took out the dagger that had escaped security from his arms and started waving it! Oh my God, yes, the wanted criminal happened to be a drug addict!"

"At this time, Leonard Mitchell did not immediately stand up to stop the fight because of a sudden severe headache, but he threw his thermos cup and hit the wanted criminal on the back of his head."

"The thermos is made of double-layer glass and stainless steel. Very good. The wanted criminal was smashed to death. Mr. Mitchell is about to receive additional subsidies, and the dagger he wielded only scratched Benson Moretti's shoulder, clothes and seat. Ilia also confirmed the location of Ince Zangwill."

Swish! The sky outside the train suddenly darkened!
At the same time, ethereal singing sounded in the train. Soest and Leonard received instructions and began to chant requiem poems at the same time. The singing was relayed by other nightmares and spread throughout the train. The huge dream instantly covered everyone except the conductor.

People fell into a deep sleep, their souls were protected by dreams, and the war between demigods began in the real world.

The stars and the red moon were like a pen stained with starlight, writing elegantly on the night sky. The power of death and tranquility collided, and the screams of spirits were soothed by poetry. Thunder and lightning flashed and rumbled from time to time. Leonard did not dare to look closely, but he seemed to see a strange brass eye, as if he would be seen through from beginning to end if this thing looked at him.

The battle between the demigods came and went quickly, and after about ten minutes, the stars gradually faded, but the sky was not too bright in the winter morning, and there was no difference between the two except that the night sky was clearer.

In this way, Ince Zangwill would not come to obstruct the rest of the journey, and their escort mission would be half successful.

The dream lasted for half an hour longer, and after half an hour, the passengers woke up one after another. They just felt that they had a good sleep and had a good dream. They didn't know what they dreamed about, but after waking up, they felt refreshed, peaceful, and in better spirits.

Woo!
More than an hour later, the steam train arrived at Backlund with countless hopeful people. At this time, the sky was still bright, the fog in the air was much thinner, and the gas lamps hanging above the platform were no longer lit early.

Benson protected his sister and wallet very experiencedly. He carried the suitcases, one for himself and one for Leonard, and followed the crowd out of the station.

Leonard, who had a headache, stomachache, abdominal pain and leg pain, followed him dying. He no longer needed to pretend to have a voice, as his voice was indeed hoarse. But he was wearing a mask, so no one could see that he looked pale and his forehead was covered with cold sweat.

He helped the Moretti siblings a lot along the way, and the siblings were very moved, especially when the drug addict suddenly attacked someone with a knife - the police officer is worthy of being a police officer, and the police officer who was promoted to Backlund in his early twenties is really agile. To put it in a big way, this is a life-saving grace. Even if they are not related, this enthusiasm is really admirable, and it strengthens Benson's determination to establish a long-term friendship with Leonard.

Suddenly, they felt a gaze sweeping over them at the same time.

Following the trail, Benson and Melissa saw a young gentleman with neat black hair and dark brown eyes.

The gentleman wearing gold-rimmed glasses clicked his hat and looked past them into the distance.

Leonard was a step slower due to excessive mental exhaustion and the relief he finally felt. When he looked over, it was hard to tell who the gaze came from, but his mind vaguely revealed an ordinary-looking, unfamiliar young man.

There was no hostility, just a glance. This happened many times a day, and Officer Mitchell didn't think much about it.

Benson and Melissa also looked away, looking towards the pillars spewing smoke in the street garden, looking forward to seeing Backlund's underground transportation.

Klein, carrying his suitcase, walked past them with an expressionless face and a straight body. He faced the large crowd that was pouring into the "Land of Hope" and the people who were apprehensive but had beautiful expectations, and entered the departure station.

They passed each other, walked in opposite directions, and headed towards different expectations and futures.

The end of one journey is the beginning of the next one.

TBC
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"Captain Soest... I want to take a leave... I want to take a rest for an afternoon..."

"…Thank you for your hard work, Leonard. We thought that Ince Zangwill would target you and the Moretti siblings more, but we didn't expect that after the first sneak attack failed, he began to pay attention to the movements of the Goddess's Eye. Our people will guide you to the house this afternoon. If you still go, it will be too suspicious. We will arrange it later. Okay, you can rest."

"How is the situation, Master Goddess' Eye?"

"We have won, but Ince Zangwill was not defeated. 0-08 is not to be underestimated. Even though we were fully prepared this time, Her Excellency the Eye of the Goddess still suffered some minor injuries. However, our mission has been successfully completed."

(End of this chapter)